Currys Drop Price of Samsung Blu-Ray Player

[Vern]

Looking on the Curry's website this morning, noticed on-line price of a Samsung BD Player dropped to £749.99.

Popped into our local Curry's Digital (Swindon) where they had a model on display at the original £999.99. Tongue in cheek, asked the guy if he would match the on-line price. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing agreed they would, also when they called up the details appears the instore price should also be the same - £749.99.

It's still a bit more than the thing is really worth but we decided to buy anyway though of course there is still a dearth of UK titles for the machine. Can anyone point me in the direction of threads listing which US BD discs are compatabile with the UK player?

Seems a nice enough machine, though "in yer face" blue backlighting on the fascia panel is a bit distracting and the need to switch sound between PCM and Digital if you just want to use the TV sound rather than to the amp is a hangover from the cheap and nasty Sammy DVD players.

[Dave2]

Originally Posted by Vern

Looking on the Curry's website this morning, noticed on-line price of a Samsung BD Player dropped to £749.99.

Popped into our local Curry's Digital (Swindon) where they had a model on display at the original £999.99. Tongue in cheek, asked the guy if he would match the on-line price. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing agreed they would, also when they called up the details appears the instore price should also be the same - £749.99.

It's still a bit more than the thing is really worth but we decided to buy anyway though of course there is still a dearth of UK titles for the machine. Can anyone point me in the direction of threads listing which US BD discs are compatabile with the UK player?

Seems a nice enough machine, though "in yer face" blue backlighting on the fascia panel is a bit distracting and the need to switch sound between PCM and Digital if you just want to use the TV sound rather than to the amp is a hangover from the cheap and nasty Sammy DVD players.

You may be able to turn the display off like on the toshiba hd-d1 models , there is a dimmer button on the remote could be on the samsung too.

[Rasczak]

Originally Posted by Vern

Can anyone point me in the direction of threads listing which US BD discs are compatabile with the UK player?

Have a look at this site

[ash]

Originally Posted by Vern

Looking on the Curry's website this morning, noticed on-line price of a Samsung BD Player dropped to £749.99.

Popped into our local Curry's Digital (Swindon) where they had a model on display at the original £999.99. Tongue in cheek, asked the guy if he would match the on-line price. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing agreed they would, also when they called up the details appears the instore price should also be the same - £749.99.

It's still a bit more than the thing is really worth but we decided to buy anyway though of course there is still a dearth of UK titles for the machine. Can anyone point me in the direction of threads listing which US BD discs are compatabile with the UK player?

Seems a nice enough machine, though "in yer face" blue backlighting on the fascia panel is a bit distracting and the need to switch sound between PCM and Digital if you just want to use the TV sound rather than to the amp is a hangover from the cheap and nasty Sammy DVD players.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
You can get it from RicherSounds for £600 I think!

[TarPot]

Movietyme are doing the region 1 version of the Samsung for £389 here

Is the writing on the wall for blu-ray?

[Jeff]

Samsung probably have a 2nd gen or maybe even a dual format player in the works and are dumping their old stock. Samsung are probably less inclind to toe the Blu-Ray line after Sony dumped on them earlier last year.

[SNICK]

Originally Posted by ash

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
You can get it from RicherSounds for £600 I think!

Yep, you could have saved yourself £150 - that would have paid for 8 shiny new BR (old title) discs which you could have watched once before putting away and never bothering to watch again

[Jakeh1969]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Samsung probably have a 2nd gen or maybe even a dual format player in the works and are dumping their old stock. Samsung are probably less inclind to toe the Blu-Ray line after Sony dumped on them earlier last year.

I'd forgotten about that. Yet another reason (along with LG going dual format) for Samsung to dilute it's support for Blu-Ray.

[Pecker]

Originally Posted by TarPot

Movietyme are doing the region 1 version of the Samsung for £389 here

Is the writing on the wall for blu-ray?

As it says at the site:

"All units shipped have serial numbers noted in case of future issues, and come with a 30 Day Limited guarantee (Guarantee is only for players that have ORIGINAL FIRMWARE that shipped from us, if you have upgraded the players firmware and issues have resulted after this then you must consult with Samsung USA) after this customers must take up issues with Samsung USA."

I still can't believe that people blithely post the prices of US imported players, as if the fact that it was an import was immaterial.

Having the older (poorer) firmware is a very important factor. Being stuck with a £400 turkey, and no come back at all on the supplier, if anything goes wrong after 30 days is an extremely important factor, and a massive gamble to take with any machine.

If this machine goes wrong, it'll cost you nearly as much as a new player to ship it back to the USA (and then back again to the UK), and will entail a very long wait. That's if Samsung USA are even remotely interested.

Which they won't be.

I'd probably rather pay £600 to Richer Sounds, though frankly that's still very expensive indeed.

Steve W

[Jeff]

It probably comes with the newer firmware anyway, they just aren't guranteeing it. Yes you are limited to 30 days warantee, but that is usually enough. The cheaper price is nice, you can almost buy 2 for the price of the UK model but it's the lack of releases for the UK models which is the biggest issue. It's very risky buying a UK BR player at the momemt.

[TarPot]

Originally Posted by Pecker

I still can't believe that people blithely post the prices of US imported players, as if the fact that it was an import was immaterial.


Steve W

I'd prefer to have an imported player opposed to being stuck with UK releases. To me it is a bonus.

Surely by now they're shipping with the updated firmware, which would then being original to this unit.

Sorry my comment seemed to upset you. I thought it was a good price myself.

[Pecker]

No worries, It didn't upset me.

But it does concern me that someone might actually not read the small print, and might not appreciate the absolutely massive risks of buying an import.

I think it's very important to flag these risks up.

But, if you're prepared to take the risk, you're right - it's not a bad price.

What happens if/when Samsung launch an upgrade after 30 days, and you hook up your player to t'internet, and it won't update it as it's outside the US. Think this is impossible? The first high definition disc was T2 to play on your PC. But when you got the disc you had to hook up to the www to let it play, and it wouldn't let you play it outside the US.

Steve W

[Vern]

Erm, okay... some interesting feedback there (if not quite what I was expecting ).

My main reason for posting was twofold, one to highlight the UK High Street prices are dropping and two to try and prevent someone going in Currys and unwittingly being rooked for the old price of £999.

As regards Richer Sounds, must admit never thought to check them. The nearest branch is 30 miles away so you would have to add petrol and car parking (admittedly not £150!). As the list price on most of the other sites is still around £800 one has to wonder what the catch is selling so cheap. I've had stuff from Richer Sounds before and not been that impressed at the quality. Maybe their stock is sourced from seconds or returns...? (Please don't start a flame war).

We already have a US Toshiba HD A1 HD-DVD player so didn't really want a second import machine. Yes the range of BD software for the UK is a bit pathetic at present but I'm sure it will improve given time and having looked at the lists with the exception of Fox and some Sony titles most US BD's should play anyway. And as pointed out above there are risks importing a player as regards warranty and after sales. If my UK machine goes wrong in the next 12 months I can dump it on the counter at Currys and demand a repair or replacement. No such option with an import player no matter how reputable the company - the issue already raised its head with the dealer we bought our HD player from when it was stuttering and pausing during playback (though it seems better now - maybe it is run in or the HD software coding has improved). And again, where are they sourcing the players to get something so cheap that just a matter of weeks ago was up at the £900 level?

As regards the white elephant, well it's quite possible. Been through quite a few in our time - Video CD, Laserdisc, CD32, Sega Saturn, minidisc... There's quite a few DVD's in our collection that have been played once or twice then gather dust on the shelf for years so nothing new there either. Or the neglected PC game which when you revisit it doesn't work on your new hardware/operating system! All part of the AV and Home Entertainment game.

[Sonic67]

Originally Posted by Vern

Maybe their stock is sourced from seconds or returns...? (Please don't start a flame war).

You are not allowed to sell seconds or returns etc unless it is clearly marked as such. Consumer Law etc.

[Greggles]

Originally Posted by Vern

with the exception of Fox and some Sony titles most US BD's should play anyway.

In my experience, most older Sony titles are multi-region. I have a number marked Region B which play fiine on my Region A machine. Only newer titles seem to be region locked.

Disney/Buena Vista titles, however, all seem to be locked.